Southern Water has announced a five year refurbishment programme

It follows an Environment Agency report which said the water company was a major polluter and among the most frequently fined in the UK.

Official figures show it is the fourth most penalised business in the country, with fines of over �73,000 this year.

In response, Southern Water has announced a refurbishment programme.

We very much regret any pollution incidents and apologise for them Stuart Derwent, Southern Water

It said it would upgrade ageing sewage treatment works and sewers over the next five years to help tackle an "unacceptable" number of pollution incidents.

The company is planning the refurbishment and replacement of more than 150 wastewater treatment works.

In addition, Southern Water is also proposing to spend �93m to replace underground sewers nearing the end of their life.

The proposals have been submitted to Ofwat for approval.

Stuart Derwent, managing director, said: "We very much regret any pollution incidents and apologise for them.

Public inquiry

"They are unacceptable and we are determined to do something about them."

Other measures being taken by the company include improving the way maintenance is carried out, and maintaining close liaison with the Environment Agency.

Mr Derwent said: "This work reflects our aim to learn lessons from any incident."

The company has recently attracted controversy over its plans to build a new sewage treatment works to serve the Brighton area.

A public inquiry threw out the firm's bid to expand its Portobello plant three years ago.

After short listing eight other possible sites, a planning application for a new facility at Peacehaven is likely to be submitted later this year.

Figures from the company's website state that the company is responsible for delivering clean, fresh water to around one million households in the South East.

Southern Water also treats and recycles dirty water from nearly two million households.